The Bible Stories, Our Story: One and the Same

I wrote this post back in January before we ever left on our adventures.  The book I was reading seemed a Godsend in preparing me to face "adventure"--which, as fantastic as it sounds, can be downright freaky.  Anyway, I share it now as a way of summing up our sojourning, coming full circle, in a way.  Rereading this entry reminded me to see our experience, along with any experience in life, as part of The Story.  The Story that begins with God creating a world, the rebellion that followed, and the glorious plan of Redemption that has been unfolding ever since.  Each new day brings a new adventure.  And each adventure is sent by our loving Father to open our eyes to the wonder of experiencing him!

I'm reading a book about a man who, feeling distanced from the Bible he once knew through his Jewish upbringing, sets out to walk the torah (the first five books of the Bible).  He finds that what began as a way to connect with his roots through an interest in geography and archeology, soon grows into a very real connection to the words on the page as the stories become more concrete.  He walks with Abraham the three day journey to Mt. Moriah to offer up Isaac, runs his hands over stones like the one Jacob used as a pillow when he saw the vision of heaven, follows Joseph the slave to Egypt where he's raised to prime minister, and marches out with the Israelites tasting their fear as the hard-hearted pharaoh sets chase.  This is called experience.  And I think it's how the Bible was meant to be read.  Maybe we can't travel to the middle east to spur our imaginations about what it must have been like, but I don't think God ever meant for these epic adventure stories to be simply words on a page.  We might not be in the same geographical location, but God so often places us in the same spiritual location as those Old Testament heroes.  Can we say we sinned, not just Adam and Eve, and therefore deserve to be put out of paradise?  Or we believed God and it was counted to us as righteousness as was said of Abraham?  Or we were brought out of Egypt like the Israelites by God's outstretched hand working signs and wonders?  Isn't that what makes the Bible the Living Word?  It's alive because those stories are relevant to us here and now.

Anyway, all that to say, I've loved reading about this man's adventures and how they led him from head knowledge about the God of the Bible to heart knowledge: really knowing the God of the Bible.  That only comes by experiencing God--which is the greatest adventure.  And this is what the author had to say referring to his guide leading the adventure,

"As much as he knew about the Bible, he seemed to know more about the nature of travel, about how to go places, leave a bit of yourself behind, take a bit of the place with you, and in the process emerge with something bigger--an experience, a connection, a story.  Maybe that's one reason the Bible has such enduring power: At its heart, it's a great adventure tale."

Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land through the Five Books of Moses by Bruce Feiler

We're all sojourning.  Traveling through life, and just like the patriarchs, trying to make sense of the world, the circumstances we find ourselves in, and the God we've not yet seen who seems to be leading us on extraordinary paths full of unforeseen adventure.

And that last line I wrote?  "Unforeseen adventure"--whoa, I had no idea!  Yes, the experiences chronicled here have been adventures in so many ways, but right now, as our sojourning comes to an end, I see no end to the adventures!  In fact, I think there's more "unforeseen adventure" ahead than ever before!  

Why does this feel so much more comfortable?

After another night on a plane (I must confess, the novelty of trying to get a few hours sleep while flying overnight has long since worn off), we touched down in Buenos Aires and proceeded through our fastest airport experience yet!  We were driving away after just an hour and a half.  And that includes the time it takes to wait in line at passport control, collect baggage, proceed through customs (where we always get the third degree for bringing in so much equipment), renting a car, and even grabbing something to eat.  Tell you what, we are pros.  Or things just went incredibly smoothly.  Take your pick.

Four hours later we made it back to dear Venado Tuerto (remember what that means?) and checked into our trusty lodging spot, Miró Park.  It's so good to be back in a familiar place where people make sense when they open their mouths!  That evening I picked up some supplies at the local grocery store while Jonathan was at José's office making a game plan.  As I walked back to the hotel from the store, I was struck by how comfortable and beautiful the scene around me was.  The clock tower over in the plaza was bonging the hour, the air was that crisp cool that comes with late fall, only a few colored leaves were still clinging to the trees, and a few locals were gathered around sipping maté and chatting over the day.

I wish I could describe it better.  I should have taken a picture, but...confession.  I forgot the camera.  Again.  I know, I know, it's awful.  But at least we have our phones.

Next morning, we got up while it was still dark.  No joke, it doesn't get even remotely light here until 8:00 am.  Seriously.  After a tasty breakfast of good ole medialunas and café con leche, Jonathan was out the door by 7:15 with Leandro to do an installation at a farm several hours away.  And it was a long day.  He didn't get back until midnight.  The good news is yesterday was a much shorter work day, with a late start and early finish.  We spent the evening dining at one of our favorite restaurants and then grabbing coffee at our favorite café.  Boy, is Argentina great.  Maybe it's just the level of comfort from having spent so many weeks here, or maybe it's the language barrier not being so much of a problem.  I don't know, but I know I'll take Argentina over Brazil any day!

This morning we went back to a local church where we've attended services before.  Although it's all in Spanish, we both definitely enjoy the worship section of the service!  They have a dedicated worship team, and everyone is really enthusiastic!

We're now in our last week of travel abroad.  It will be interesting to see how the next few days play out, but with harvest at an end, our main task is to finish up and get feedback from the teams that tested our product here.  It's hard to believe we're coming to the end of this fantastic adventure!  But for now, we'll just focus on finishing strong--and enjoying as many of our Argentinian favorites as possible!